Mistleheart's Clan
by Cloudy Dreamcatcher
Summary: A young she-cat with unusual looks is banished from the Clans, along with many others, after a strange prophecy is taken the wrong way.
1. Applebird and Nightstar

A black she-cat jumped at the sound of her name.

"Nightstar!" a strange voice called. A speckled gray and brown tom came into view. "Nightstar, there is a prophecy."

"Applebird?" wondered Nightstar. "What are you doing here? What is this prophecy?"

"Listen closely, do not forget a single word." he told her.

" _On the outside they look different,_

 _On the inside, much the same._

 _Beware for these_

 _Will fulfill this prophecy._

 _Keep aware,_

 _Of them, beware._

 _Much they have to give_

 _Long lives to live_

 _The destruction of your Clan draws near,_

 _Nightstar, of these cats do fear."_

Nightstar, frightened and confused, tried to grasp his words in her head, but they slipped away like water through an outstretched claw. "What do you mean?" she asked Applebird. But her words were heard only by a swamping darkness. Nightstar woke up, breathing hard.

"On the outside they look different…" She repeated to herself over and over. Nightstar thought she had a pretty good idea of who this meant.


	2. Nightstar's Drama

**Sorry that the chapters are so short. Please review! Name suggestions are welcome!**

Mistleheart bounded forward with the rest of her Clan to the gathering. For some reason, Nightstar had insisted that all the Clans bring all their cats, kits, queens, and elders included. Mistleheart clung tightly to the tiny kit she was holding.

Nightstar dashed past her, making her way to the front. She gave Mistleheart a cold glare when she passed. Mistleheart halted in confusion. She decided she was imagining things and ran to catch up with the rest of BriarClan.

Mistleheart was a dark brown she-cat with a black underbelly and black speckles. Her two front paws were snowy-white. So, she was a bit unusual in appearance, but cared nothing of it.

Soon the Clan arrived at the gathering, where BrightClan, CreekClan, ThornClan, and AppleClan were waiting. Mistleheart slipped into the crowd to chat with her best friend from ThornClan, Flamewhisker. Flamewhisker was a orange, red, and white calico with mismatched eyes. One was a deep ocean-blue, the other, a pale rainy-blue.

Everyone was chatting happily and peacefully when Nightstar suddenly leaped onto the Lightning Tree. "Cats of all Clans!" She yowled. "There are traitors among us!"


	3. What's Going On?

**I know it's a bit strange that they would all just believe Nightstar, but they all have complete faith in her. She lies a lot and depicts herself as amazing and powerful.**

Mistleheart gasped with everyone else in the crowd. Nightstar paid them no heed and rambled on. "Last night I received a prophecy from StarClan!" she rasped. A ripple of uneasiness passed through the crowd. "He told me this." she recited the prophecy for the five Clans.

" _On the outside they look different,_

 _On the inside, much the same._

 _Beware for these_

 _Will fulfill this prophecy._

 _Keep aware,_

 _Of them, beware._

 _Much they have to give_

 _Long lives to live_

 _The destruction of your Clan draws near,_

 _Nightstar, of these cats do fear."_

All the cats started mumbling about the meaning, but Nightstar made it clear that she was sure of what was going on. "Didn't you hear fluff-brains? On the outside they look different! These cats, they are the ones that are unusually colored in eyes and pelt." she waited for their answer.

Silverstar, the CreekClan leader, paused uncertainly before nodding her agreement. Riverstar of ThornClan reluctantly meowed the truth in her words. Birdstar, AppleClan's leader, was the fastest to agree with Nightstar.

"We have plenty of cats who look different, and most aren't the best, I must say."

"I too, have heard the same prophecy!" announced Sandstar. "That is also how I interpreted it."

"So it is settled," Nightstar meowed triumphantly. "All the strange looking cats in the Clans will be driven out, to protect us from further harm."

Mistleheart couldn't believe her ears. She knew very well she would be considered unusual. She also knew that Silvesrstar and Riverstar thought that Nightstar was the wisest leader in all of the world.

"This isn't right!" She yowled to the leaders above.

"It is the only thing we can do." Nightstar replied from her perch.

"You are doing this out of fear. Fear can make you foolish." Mistleheart finished. A haze of silver clouds swept over the moon.

"StarClan disagrees with Mistleheart!" proclaimed Sandstar.

"Now we will separate the strange ones from our Clan!" Nightstar screeched. Nightstar, pitch black, had nothing to worry about. Sandstar was a light ginger tabby, Birdstar dark brown. Silverstar and Riverstar were plain gray tabbies.

Nightstar leaped down to face her Clan. "All of you!" she yowled. "Single file line!"


	4. Single File Line

**This is mostly about who was banished. Sorry torties!**

The Clan lined up, the other four Clans bunching together, afraid to be deemed unusual. Sandstar, Silverstar, Birdstar, and Riverstar guarded them with their deputies.

"Don't try running away." she heard Whitethroat, the BrightClan deputy meow silkily.

"Watch your step, Mistleheart." Gingertail of CreekClan sneered. The other two deputies, Graywind of ThornClan and Toadheart of AppleClan were joined by Stormclaw, BriarClan's deputy, as they prowled around the waiting Clans. That was why Nightstar had made sure all of each Clan was there. To single them out like bad prey to throw away.

First in line was Bluewillow. He was dark blue with a white underbelly. He cringed when Nightstar approached him, wild light in her eyes, but she passed him by. "Help guard." Nightstar muttered. Bluewillow thankfully broke away, though he was still unhappy.

Nightstar passed by two apprentices, Beepaw, a black she-cat, and Rosepaw, a pale cream. The first cat banished from the Clans was Sunnysnow. "Every banished cat will wait on the moor until sunrise, then leave. Sunnysnow, a orange, yellow, and white tortie nodded nervously, and, fur on end, dashed away toward the windy moorland. The jeers of the deputies followed her and kept echoing, over and over in the air.

Tigerfur, a chestnut tabby, and Lionleap, a golden one, were safely passed over. Ten warriors, two elders, three apprentices, five kits, and a medicine cat were yet to be judged. Their medicine cat, Fernsong, tearfully joined the leaders and deputies, being solid ginger.

"How can you do this?" She asked Nightstar. Nightstar did not reply, just pushed Fernsong back to stand with the other normal colored cats.

The two elders, Goatclaw and Dawnsky, were safe. Goatclaw's dark brown pelt was lucky for him, as was Dawnsky's silver tabby.

Two of the warriors left waiting were the queens, curled protectively around their kits. Nightstar loomed over Snowsap, who was a ginger and white tabby. "You're free to go." she growled. Whitekit and Mudkit were safely solid colored and followed their mother to the Lightning Tree to wait.

"Oh, dear." Nightstar meowed ominously. "We have a calico." Paintfur didn't move, staying wrapped around her three kittens.

"I can't leave them!" She cried.

"You don't have to." Nightstar answered. At first Mistleheart thought she was being kind, but then she flicked her tail at the wailing kits.

Poppykit was a calico like her mother, Robinkit was dark russet with orange speckles, and Jaykit was white with one gray paw.

Mistleheart helped Paintfur lift Jaykit and Robinkit onto her back. Poppykit dangled from Paintfur's jaws. They made their way silently towards the moor.

The next three warriors, Stormtail, solid gray, Redface, russet, and Winterclaw, white and gray, were all safe.

The next two were banished. A black, silver, and gray tom named Windstorm left with his mate, Dappleheart, who was calico with a white chest spot.

One apprentice followed another warrior. Mistleheart felt pang after pang of sorrow, because the warrior was her old mentor and the apprentice was Fernsong's. Her mentor, Turtlepelt walked past her, she was a dark tortie. Pebblepaw followed uncertainly behind. Her silver pelt flecked with white.

The other three apprentices were solid brown and gray and left safely. Mistleheart stood, her head held high, as Nightstar passed the two warriors next to her. "Mistleheart." she snarled. The leader merely had to glance at her dark brown pelt and the black underbelly and speckles before whispering. "Leave." in a hideous snarl.


	5. On the Moor

**So, here is a list of the cats that have been banished and their appearances.**

 **Mistleheart-Dark brown, black underbelly and speckles, white paws, green eyes**

 **Paintfur-Calico**

 **Robinkit-Russet, flecked with orange**

 **Poppykit-Calico**

 **Jaykit-White, one gray paw**

 **Turtlepelt-Dark tortie**

 **Pebblepaw-White with silver flecks and paws**

 **Sunnysnow-Orange calico**

 **Windstorm-Gray, black and white calico**

 **Dappleheart-Calico, white chest spot**

Mistleheart raced to the moor. She managed to find where the other cats from BriarClan had made camp and joined them. She still couldn't believe how insane the leaders had become. She meowed a quiet greeting to her Clanmates before flopping down in the tall grass, and falling fast asleep.

Mistleheart awoke and looked around her. The sky was a pale dove-gray, and the sun hadn't broken over the horizon yet. No other cat was up. She slipped away, hoping to find some prey. She easily caught a starling, but only barely managed to kill a fat rabbit before it disappeared down its hole.

When she returned to camp, she saw that another cat had brought back a rabbit. It was only BriarClan cats here. They would have to find the outcasts from the other Clans soon. All the cats gathered to eat. Paintfur and Dappleheart carried Robinkit, Jaykit, and Poppykit over to the fresh-kill pile. Mistleheart dropped her kill and shared a rabbit with Sunnysnow and Windstorm. Pebblepaw took a bird and sat by herself, her eyes glazed over. Turtlepelt passed by Mistleheart.

"We're going to figure this out." her old mentor mumbled, but Mistleheart wasn't so sure.


	6. Ten Added

The sun had broken the horizon a few minutes ago. The banished group had picked up ThornClan and BrightClan's scent, and followed it.

Suddenly Mistleheart let out a yowl. "There they are!" Down below was about ten cats or so, Flamewhisker among them. "Oh, Flamewhisker, I'm so glad to see you!" Mistleheart moaned happily.

Five more down in the dip were ThornClan. There was a calico, a tortie, a black and white she-cat with speckles on her face, a ginger apprentice with white streaks, and a dark brown tom with a green and blue eye.

They ran up to introduce themselves. "Hi!" said the tortie breathlessly. "I'm Dawnspots. These are my Clanmates. The calico is Birdwing, the brown tom is Mouseye, the black and white cat is our medicine cat, Badgerfleck, and the apprentice is Twistpaw."

The other cats meowed a greeting. BrightClan's four cats clambered up the sides of the hill to join them. The biggest, a black tom with white paws gruffly meowed, "Hello. I'm Darkpelt." Then walked over to talk to Dawnspots.

A tiny white she-cat with orange spots dashed forward and squeaked, "I'm Rowanpaw!"

"I'm her mentor, Feathersong." added a silver tabby with white feather-shaped markings on her fur. "And this is Russetbranch," she informed them, gesturing to a grumpy red tom, who had a twig like brown streak down his side. He flicked his tail in acknowledgement.

"Is this everyone?" asked Sunnysnow.

"Yes." Flamewhisker replied. "We still need to find CreekClan and AppleClan, though." and they set off.


	7. Allegiance of the Outcasts (Part 1)

**Mistleheart-Dark brown she-cat, black underbelly and specks, two white front paws, green eyes**

 **Sunnysnow-Orange, yellow, and white calico she-cat, blue eyes**

 **Windstorm-Gray, black, and silver calico tom, yellow eyes**

 **Dappleheart-Calico she-cat, white chest spot and white paws, light blue eyes**

 **Pebblepaw-Silver she-cat, white paws and white flecks, blue eyes**

 **Turtlepelt-Dark tortie she-cat, dark green eyes**

 **Paintfur-Calico she-cat, light green eyes**

 **Jaykit-White tom, one gray paw, blue eyes**

 **Poppykit-Calico she-cat, yellow eyes**

 **Robinkit-Russet tom, orange speckles, brown eyes**

 **Flamewhisker-Orange, red, and white calico she-cat, one light blue and one dark blue eye**

 **Dawnspots-Tortie she-cat, amber eyes**

 **Birdwing-Calico she-cat, green eyes**

 **Mouseeye-Dark brown tom, one green and one blue eye**

 **Badgerfleck-Black and white she-cat with white speckles on her face, gray eyes**

 **Twistpaw-Pale ginger she-cat with white streaks, blue eyes**

 **Darkpelt-Big black tom with white paws, orange eyes**

 **Russetbranch-Russet tom with branch-shaped streak of brown down his side, yellow eyes**

 **Rowanpaw-White she-cat with orange spots, green eyes**

 **Feathersong-Silver tabby she-cat, white feather-shaped markings, amber eyes**


	8. AppleClan!

"There they are!" It was Flamewhisker. Sure enough, in a small cave where the moor meets the forest, all of AppleClan's outcasts were huddled.

Mistleheart quickly scanned over them. There were about seven this time, all bunched together in a mush of fur. One of them. Padded out to talk to them. "So you have found us." he said, his eyes piercing. "Thornsnow and her friends are out hunting."

The tom was black. There seemed to be nothing unusual, until he walked around them, sizing them up. Mistleheart realized he was walking with a small limp. One of his back paws was twisted the wrong way. By now, the tom didn't even seem to notice it.

"I'm Ravenfoot." he meowed gruffly before they could comment. The other cats silently nodded.

He led them down to his Clanmates. A pretty she-cat hopped out of the cave to say hello. She was orange and had bright red splashes. "I'm Emberdawn," she meowed causally. Her emerald green eyes didn't waver from Mistleheart. "And you, Mistleheart, are someone special." Emberdawn said this just as calmly as if she was chatting about the weather.

"What? How did you know my name?" Mistleheart blubbered. "And I'm just an ordinary cat!"

Emberdawn merely sighed. "Young one, the future is in the paws of all of us. But some play a bigger part."

Mistleheart didn't respond. Instead she turned her back to greet the other five cats in the cave. One was a blue-gray queen with a black paw. "Welcome, Mistleheart." She said warmly. "These are my kits. Introduce yourselves!" she scolded lightly.

There were two tiny kits that Mistleheart hadn't noticed before. "I'm Quartzkit!" squeaked the first. She leaped into the air in excitement, landing on the other kit and smushing her.

"Hey! Get off!" squealed the other in a muffled meow. Quartzkit bounced off, and ran to the back of the cave. The little kit's black pelt faded immediately, but her rose-white dapples shone clearly in the cracks where sunlight streamed down. She toddled around on her three spotted paws, the other lifted high to pummel a clump of moss that was hanging loosely from the ceiling.

The other kit didn't turn to look at her sister, just sighed and shook her head. "I'm Flurrykit." She informed them, looking up. Her cloudy blue eyes could suggest only one thing. Flurrykit was blind.


	9. Have Fun While It Lasts

Flurrykit rolled her eyes. "So what? I'm blind." she said plainly. Pebblepaw turned away to chat with the other cats, and the warriors were close behind. But Robinkit, Poppykit, and Jaykit bounded over to question Flurrykit.

"Can you see me?" asked Poppykit eagerly.

Flurrykit shook her head. "No, but I know exactly where you are. It's not hard with the noise you're making," she commented playfully.

Poppykit stuck her tongue out, then, realizing Flurrykit couldn't see her gesture, batted her over the ear. "Hey!" She squeaked in a mock-annoyed tone.

Quartzkit, not wanting to miss out on the fun, dashed over, knocking over Robinkit. Jaykit was very interested in Flurrykit, and they chatted softly while the other three batted and pummeled each other. Flurrykit's snowy white pelt shone in the darkness, and Jaykit was clearly visible behind her.

Mistleheart was so intent in watching them play that she didn't hear Turtlepelt calling her name until the third or fourth time. "What?" she meowed vaguely.

"I want to introduce you to these other cats!" growled Turtlepelt. Mistleheart jumped to her paws.

"Oh, right!" she exclaimed.

After she had met Tanglefoot, a brown and cream tom who had been an elder of AppleClan, Dusksnow, a brown she cat with a large white patch and white paws, Lionfur, a golden tabby tom with dark brown markings, and Crowleaf, who was black with one white paw and sharp green eyes, one a little lighter than the other, she padded off in search of Goldenwillow, the fifth cat.

"There you are!" Mistleheart finally gasped. Goldenwillow was slender and graceful. A golden tabby with pale brown stripes and a brown underbelly.

She looked surprised to hear her name. "Hello," she meowed in a terse manner before stalking stiffly away to greet the three cats who had been hunting.

Mistleheart shook off the feeling of disappointment and raced to join the others.


	10. Search and Discovery

**Like I said before, still open to cats! Thank you so much if you are reading this! Now, onward to the story!**

"Mistleheart," One of the returning cats meowed. "I'm Thornsnow, and these cats are Frogpelt and Graywhisker." The gold and white tabby she-cat gestured to a mottled gray tom with black stripes and a dark brown tom with black stripes running everywhere.

"We must sleep today. We will travel tomorrow to find CreekClan's cats before making our way across the mountains. Oh, and sleep they did. All the cats from all the Clans were so exhausted that they all slept through the entire afternoon, except for the occasional guards that were on duty.

When dark fell, all the cats had slept off their weariness and were ready to find CreekClan. But the task was harder than they had expected. They combed through the forest with a fine toothed comb, but there was no cat to be found.

On the fifth day of searching for CreekClan, Mistleheart awoke in the middle of the night to a startled yowl. She dashed outside and quickly scanned the area. Two cats came charging into the clearing where they had made camp, one of them carrying a newborn kit.

"It's gone." one said to the other. The cat holding the kit nodded. Ravenfoot approached them from behind and leapt on the first one. The cat shrieked and fought back. Sunnysnow, Mistleheart, and Thornsnow all leapt out at the same time and knocked Ravenfoot off the newcomers.

"They're from CreekClan!" scolded Thornsnow. Apparently she had a very good sense of smell, because their Clan scent had faded a while back.

The two cats nodded. There was a tom and a she-cat, who was holding the kit. Her legs were visibly shaking, and a heartbeat later, she sank to the ground in exhaustion and fear. Mistleheart realized what was happening. The two cats were mates, and the she-cat must have just given birth.

Paintfur realized this too, and darted in to give the newborn kitten a proper feeding. The she-cat gasped a thank you, and the tom nestled down with her to support her.

Flamewhisker approached them. "I'm Flamewhisker." she meowed kindly. "Where is the rest of you?"

"I'm Quickstep," gasped the tom. "This is my mate, Tabbyheart, and our kit. We named him Hopekit."

"But where are the rest of you?" Flamewhisker repeated.

Tabbyheart responded this time. "Dead." she said bluntly. "There were seven more. Badgers killed them. We only just escaped."

The surrounding cats gasped in horror. "Oh no!" cried Thornsnow. "We must flee this wretched forest!"

"Don't be silly." Goldenwillow scoffed haughtily. "I could take on a badger anyday."

Turtlepelt shot her a blazing look, and for once, the frustrating she-cat shut her mouth. "We leave at sunrise."

Every cat seemed to agree with that.


	11. Allegiances of the Current Outcasts

**Mistleheart-Dark brown she-cat, black underbelly and specks, two white front paws, green eyes**

 **Sunnysnow-Orange, yellow, and white calico she-cat, blue eyes**

 **Windstorm-Gray, black, and silver calico tom, yellow eyes**

 **Dappleheart-Calico she-cat, white chest spot and white paws, light blue eyes**

 **Pebblepaw-Silver she-cat, white paws and white flecks, blue eyes**

 **Turtlepelt-Dark tortie she-cat, dark green eyes**

 **Paintfur-Calico she-cat, light green eyes**

 **Jaykit-White tom, one gray paw, blue eyes**

 **Poppykit-Calico she-cat, yellow eyes**

 **Robinkit-Russet tom, orange speckles, brown eyes**

 **Flamewhisker-Orange, red, and white calico she-cat, one light blue and one dark blue eye**

 **Dawnspots-Tortie she-cat, amber eyes**

 **Birdwing-Calico she-cat, green eyes**

 **Mouseeye-Dark brown tom, one green and one blue eye**

 **Badgerfleck-Black and white she-cat with white speckles on her face, gray eyes**

 **Twistpaw-Pale ginger she-cat with white streaks, blue eyes**

 **Darkpelt-Big black tom with white paws, orange eyes**

 **Russetbranch-Russet tom with branch-shaped streak of brown down his side, yellow eyes**

 **Rowanpaw-White she-cat with orange spots, green eyes**

 **Feathersong-Silver tabby she-cat, white feather-shaped markings, amber eyes**

 **Ravenfoot-Black tom with amber eyes, crippled hind paw**

 **Thornsnow-Golden and white tabby she-cat, blue eyes**

 **Frogpelt-Dark brown tom, black stripes all over, green eyes**

 **Emberdawn-Orange she-cat with red splashes and green eyes**

 **Darkrain-Blue queen with a black paw, brown eyes**

 **Quartzkit-Black with rose-white dapples and three speckled paws**

 **Flurrykit-Blind white she-cat, cloudy blue eyes**

 **Tanglefoot-Brown and cream tom, yellow eyes**

 **Dusksnow-Brown she-cat with a white patch and white paws, gray eyes**

 **Lionfur-Golden tabby tom, dark brown markings, amber eyes**

 **Crowleaf-Black, one white paw, green eyes, one a little lighter than the other**

 **Goldenwillow-Graceful gold she-cat, pale brown stripes and underbelly, blue eyes**

 **Graywhisker-Mottled gray tom, black stripes, yellow eyes**

 **Quickstep-Dark gray tom with two brown paws, orange eyes**

 **Tabbyheart-Brown tabby she-cat, large, pale brown chest-spot, blue eyes**

 **Hopekit-Tiny black kit, white socks and blue eyes**


	12. Feathers

**Apologies for the length, more will be out tomorrow.**

It was pretty clear Turtlepelt was in charge. The band of banished warriors, queens, elders, kits, and apprentices had started the long journey over the mountains, where a supposed tropical lake of immense size pooled. The jagged peaks of the snow-covered mountains jutted up to the sky.

The strongest, most capable warriors guarded the rear, while Flamewhisker and Mistleheart set the course, but Turtlepelt didn't let them forget who was the boss.

They had only climbed a quarter of the way up when a fierce wind nearly blew them off their paws, and, in the case of the kits, succeeded. When they had reached a reasonably dry and warm sheltered area, they gave up and settled down for the night. Mistleheart walked to the back of the cave and found a dark corner which suited her. She flopped down onto something soft. _Feathers…_ was the only thought that slipped through her mind. But what she had sat on had other thoughts.


	13. Shut Up, Goldenwillow!

Something clawed its way out from under Mistleheart and leaped on top of her, battering her ears with sharp, unsheathed claws. Mistleheart yowled in surprise at what the supposed 'feathers' had become. Their skirmish quickly awoke the rest of the outcasts, and when the creature saw the many pairs of angry eyes, she backed off, still hissing and snarling for all she was worth.

Mistleheart peered into the gloom and realized that she was no creature, but, in fact, a silver tabby cat. "Who are you?" Feathersong called out. The other cats echoed her words. The cat stepped out into the moonlight, ears flat and fur spiking. Her claws were still unsheathed and her muscles were tense.

"I'm Silver," she said cautiously. "I live on the other side of the mountains."

"We were banished from our Clans for our coloring." Turtlepelt snarled at the very thought.

Silver looked surprised. "You are one of the wild cats?" She said, interested.

"Yes, obviously." snapped Goldenwillow. Feathersong gave her a look but she didn't shut up. "We eat live rabbits for breakfast and soft kittypets like you for dessert." she drawled.

"I'm no kittypet!" protested Silver. "I'm a loner!"

"So you say…" crooned Goldenwillow in a mocking manner. "What's with the name? Silver? We got that from the twolegs that live nearby," she paused. "But we know that no twolegs are on the other side of the mountain. Unless… The kittypet place." Everyone was glaring at Goldenwillow now. Silver the fiercest of all.

"My mother named me after the color of the minnows that swim in the lake!" she snapped. Goldenwillow rolled her eyes and casually strolled off.

Feathersong shot her an unpleasant look but Goldenwillow pretended not to notice and called over her shoulder. "I thought I spotted some old rabbit pellets if you're hungry. That's what you eat, right kittypet?"

Silver, in fact, was not a kittypet but was truly a wild cat. She had relaxed now that Goldenwillow had left. She sat down and inquired about them and their life. When she had heard all they had to tell, she had been horrified by Nightstar, disgusted by their banishment, and impressed by their journey.

Flurrykit got out the last part. "And then we came here and Mistleheart squashed you!" she finished.

Silver laughed, feeling more comfortable now. "Where are you going?" she asked Turtlepelt.

"We are headed to the lake that is over the mountains." Turtlepelt replied.

"Oh, that is where I live!" exclaimed Silver. "It is a beautiful lake, and there is a lot of prey."

"Good!" said Badgerfleck hopefully. "We can make a safe home there!"

Silver nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I have driven off the snakes and some foxes, and there may be a few badgers, but otherwise it will be perfect!"

"Thank you so much, Silver!" said Mistleheart happily. "We can make it there by the morning after next!"

"Well, I suppose you should probably be going," Ravenfoot meowed, gesturing to Silver and then over the mountains. Silver jumped, startled.

"Oh, what? Now? Oh-well-of course." she stammered and nervously dashed off down the mountain.


	14. Here We Go Again

**Thankyou again for suggesting these cats! ;) I can't wait to keep writing more. Please enjoy!**

The traveling cats encountered nothing more interesting then a bluebird. Before anyone could think much about it, they were across the mountains and looking out on a wide, lush green hill. They could see a trickle of water running through a cavern-like tunnel in the hills.

When they were about twelve tree lengths away, some cats emerged from a large holly bush. Mistleheart hoped they wouldn't get poisoned by the dangerous berries. There were four of them. Thornsnow had informed everyone that these newcomers were from the Clans. They looked very strange indeed, and it was no surprise that they had been banished.

The first one stepped forward, puffing his chest out.

"I'm Badgerfleck," the former medicine cat introduced herself.

"Badgerfleck, ay?" he commented, scanning her over. "The name's Treebranch. An' these are Specklefoot, Amberspark, an' Whiskerpelt," he meowed, gesturing to each in turn.

A few of the cats from the other Clans who knew them exchanged brief greetings before slipping back into the crowd. Treebranch was very large, light brown, with black paws, spine, and ear tips. He had unusual violet eyes, just to add to the strangeness.

The other tom, Specklefoot touched noses with Tanglefoot. Then he stepped back and turned to the others and introduced himself. Specklefoot was black with white and brown paws, white speckles, and mismatched eyes. One was a amber that resembled honey, the other a bright, sky-blue.

Amberspark snapped something after Treebranch pushed her forward 'ya need to say hello!', then skulked around for a bit while the others talked to Treebranch and Specklefoot.

"Go on, Whiskerpelt!" Mistleheart heard Specklefoot whisper.

"Oh, alright," she conceded shyly. She mumbled a quick hello before stepping back, her white fur spiking in fear. Specklefoot soothed her and then padded off to find an old Clanmate. Mistleheart turned to Whiskerpelt, and was about to go talk to her when Goldenwillow turned up yet again, her mocking jeers already resounding around the clearing.


	15. Underestimating

"Honestly, we're just some cats! You don't need to act so wimpy! How did you ever become a warrior?" Goldenwillow drawled.

"Shut up Goldenwillow!" Mistleheart heard some cat mutter. Whiskerpelt planted her black and ginger paws nervously on the ground, her black ears swiveling back and forth.

"I'm a medicine cat!" she cried.

"Don't they need to be brave though too? I mean, the scariest thing you've ever faced is probably some rotten herbs!" Badgerfleck and Pebblepaw were growling now too.

Whiskerpelt protested. "I fight off enemy cats when tending to patients on a battlefield!"

"Oh, forgive me," said Goldenwillow sappily. "You've fought cats already worn out from battle."

Badgerfleck and Pebblepaw defensively unsheathed their claws, and Whiskerpelt was beginning to look agitated. "Stop!" she yowled unhappily.

Goldenwillow paid no heed. "And I'm sure that you can fight! You can fight those bad little rabbits who eat your tansy."

Some cats laughed nervously. "Goldenwillow-" Tanglefoot croaked.

"And of course 'StarClan' probably does everything anyway. Or are all your silly little signs fake?" No cat was laughing now. All were returning Goldenwillow's hostile glare. She sneered and opened her mouth to get in one last jab when a spray of dirt flew up into the air, and a white pelt flew with it, landing right on top of Goldenwillow.

"How dare you!" Whiskerpelt shrieked as she battered Goldenwillow's ears. "How dare you insult me? And StarClan?"

Goldenwillow fought back, but Whiskerpelt was fiercer and quicker then her, sending blow after blow onto her flank. Then it was over. Whiskerpelt turned away and Goldenwillow lifted her head, panting. "None of the wounds are deep." Whiskerpelt mumbled to Badgerfleck who was looking stunned. Goldenwillow sat up, embarrased and angry.

"All you did was knock the wind out of me, puny kittypet! Come back over here! I can fight you again!" but no one even glanced at Goldewillow or register her words. They were all intently staring at the tiny medicine cat who had seemed so nervous.


	16. Amberspark

Whiskerpelt fluffed up her fur defensively. "What? I wasn't going to let her get that far without doing anything! Would you?"

Badgerfleck numbly shook her head, and Pebblepaw mumbled something about self-protection. The others just quietly resumed their chatter, growing gradually louder. Whiskerpelt sighed and sat down to wash her belly fur which was streaked with dark red blood that belonged to Goldenwillow.

Badgerfleck quickly scanned the area and bounded off after discovering a clump of herbs within safe range. Pebblepaw darted after her.

Specklefoot and Treebranch began to tell their story. "So there was this prophecy, ya see," Treebranch began.

"We know about the prophecy." sighed Feathersong.

"Well, we didn't wanna stick 'round an' be thrown out, 'cause with our coloring it wouldn' be to hard." Treebranch said grimly. "So we darted out to the forest yonder, and made our way over the mountains where we thought we'd be safe."

"And then we met you. At first we thought you were a rogue Clan, but then we recognized the scents and saw the coloring and realized who you were. And now here we are," Specklefoot proclaimed dimly.

Amberspark padded lazily up. "Yes, but we might not even stay with you," she said, shooting a hard glance at Treebranch.

"Oh, no I think we oughta stay, Amberspark," Treebranch reflected.

Amberspark dropped her voice to a silky moan. "Oh, but these cats are so much like rogues already!" she exclaimed pitifully. "Do you really expect me to stay with them?"

"Yes. Yes I do," said Treebranch firmly. "We're gonna stay, whether ya like it or not."

Amberspark's babyish attitude popped like an overblown balloon. "No! NO! NO NO NO!" She screeched. "I'm not going to stay with these awful cats!"

"Then you can leave and wander around and care for yourself for all I care," Specklefoot conceded.

"I agree, Amberspark." meowed Treebranch calmly.

"Fine! But I'm not going to sleep near the stinking things!" she exclaimed unhappily. Mistleheart and Feathersong exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

Amberspark was sulky for the rest of the day, muttering and complaining and helping as little as was possible. When they rested that night she curled up in a corner by herself, and when Crowleaf tried to approach her she snapped at him and tucked her head under her tail.

Mistleheart snuggled up near Badgerfleck, Feathersong, and Dusksnow and promptly fell fast asleep. Her sleep didn't last for long though, because she was awakened by something. Something that rustled very loudly.


	17. Alright, Fine

Mistleheart lept to her feet and raced to the tall grass where the sound was coming from. She saw a flash of gray and sprung at the badger lurking behind the heather. She landed and pummeled the animal with all her might. In a heartbeat she had stopped though, after hearing cries of "Geroff me!", and realizing that the lumbering animal was not, in fact, a badger, but a silver tabby she-cat.

"Silver!" cried MIstleheart accusingly. "What are you doing back here?"

"I-I wanted to j-join you, but Ravenfoot told me to leave, and, and…" Silver stammered.

"You want to join us?" Mistleheart asked curiously.

"Yes! I do! And I want to get a warrior name and hunt for the Clan and- and all that," she burst out.

"Well, Silver, we're not a Clan anymore," Mistleheart told her gently. "And you can't have a warrior name unless there is a leader to give you one,"

Silver looked daunted for a second before exclaiming, "Oh! But I can still join you? Right?"

Mistleheart sighed. "Yes." Silver almost woke the whole group in her excitement. "Just-come over here and get some sleep," Mistleheart instructed sleepily, shaking her head.

Silver nodded happily and plopped down next to Mistleheart.


	18. The Salmon Run

After they had woken up the next morning, and Mistleheart and Silver had hastily explained, the hunting parties were sent out while the rest went to collect water.

Mistleheart was hunting with Dawnspots, Mouseeye, Lionfur and Rowanpaw. Rowanpaw and Dawnspots were chasing a rabbit, and Mouseeye was right behind them. Lionfur was stalking some birds, so Mistleheart turned to look for other food.

A creek gurgled nearby and she bounded towards it to grab a bit of water. She bent down to lap up the cold clear drops, when something fat and shiny flew out of the water and plopped back in with a splash. More and more fish were flying into the air.

"Salmon!" realized Mistleheart. She called out joyfully and Twistpaw, Ravenfoot, and Feathersong came running to help her catch the plentiful fish. They caught more and more until they had enough to fill every belly to bursting. The other hunting patrols returned with their land prey, but everyone had to help carry back the mounds of glittering scaled fish.

The group happily gobbled them down. When Mistleheart finished, she leapt up onto a sun-warmed rock and began cleaning her whiskers. Then she hopped down and padded back to the creek to gaze at the sparkling water filled with delicous salmon.

She heard a cat approach behind her. Mistleheart turned around and saw Emberdawn. The she-cat's green eyes were piercing. She started grooming her orange and red pelt then casually stopped and said, "You know what you need to do."  
Mistleheart looked up, surprised. "What?"

Emberdawn's gaze didn't waver. "You know," was all she said. Mistleheart looked at the stream, running it over in her head. When she opened her mouth to reply, Emberdawn was gone.

The words she was going to say swam away with the salmon.


	19. The Final Word

Mistleheart watched Amberspark. Her dark orange pelt was fluffed up in a manner that Mistleheart might have guessed was nervousness, if it wasn't Amberspark. Her brown paws scuffed the earth. Her tail swished, the black tip shimmering. Her white face was tense, and her dark blue eyes shone in a strange manner. In other words, Amberspark was talking to Crowleaf.

"We're here!" A loud meow jerked her from her wondering about Emberdawn's strange words. She gazed at the vast ring of hills hiding a tunnel. The tunnel walls were jagged stone. The floor was about five fox lengths wide, and a shallow trickle of water ran down the middle of the pebble dusted shore.

Mistleheart was one of the first inside. It was amazing. Forests stretched far and wide, and a lake shimmered in the distance. She bounded to the top of one of the hills to get a better view. The hills made a pretty even circle. In the middled a glorious body of water sparkled in the midday sun. Around the lake was rolling moorland, prey-rich forests, shadowy pines, and damp grassy areas dotted with clumps of silver willows. Inbetween all of this lay golden creeks, white streams, and wide blue rivers.

It was perfect. It was so perfect. Why hadn't BriarClan come here long ago? Well, their leader, is why. The word 'leader' struck something in Mistleheart's brain.

In a heartbeat she knew what Emberdawn meant. She knew what she was supposed to do. They couldn't stay a wandering band of outcasts forever! They needed to become a _Clan_ and they needed a _leader._ From the top of the hill Mistleheart saw it. A cozy hollow surrounded by gorse bushes. It was inbetween the moor and the forest, and a creek flowed right through the middle.

Mistleheart called out and led the cats to the place. It was plenty big for all of them. There were large hollow stumps and bushes that were perfect for dens. The stream was shallow, and the current slow. It wasn't dangerous and could be easily leaped, but a land bridge scaled it, anyway.

It was perfect for their camp. It was perfect for them. It was perfect for their Clan. Mistleheart took a deep breath, and with a glance at Emberdawn, sprung onto a hill of loose pebbles that showered down around her. "Everyone!" she yowled. The cats turned to watch her intently. "Welcome to StreamClan!"


	20. The End

**Keep an eye out for Mistleheart's Clan II!**

 **Thankyou for reading!**


End file.
